Friendship
Before the lesson:
- Study the word list related to the topic of friendship. Use 10 of the words/phrases in sentences of your own.
A real friend
A close friend
A pal
A mate
A buddy
A keypal/penfriend
A girlfriend
A boyfriend
An acquaintance
A companion
Sincere
Patient
Sympathetic
Helpful
Kind
Understanding
Hurt
Disappointed
To have a problem
To be in trouble
To keep a secret
I can rely on them
I can trust them
I can confide in them
Hang out with somebody
Spend time with somebody
I like their company
They think the same way as I do
I can be natural with them
I can be sincere with them
I can be myself with them
A shoulder to cry on
Through thick and thin
They let me down
I was badly let down
A fair-weather friend
A friend in need is a friend indeed
A love-hate relationship
Patch up our differences
See eye to eye
A huge circle of friends
Have friends in high places
False friend
Friendly fire
2. Read the poem:
The Friend Who Just Stands By
When troubles come your soul to try,
You love the friend who just stands by.
Perhaps there’s nothing she can do,
The thing is strictly up to you.
For there are troubles all your own,
And paths the soul must tread alone.
Times when love can’t smooth the road,
Nor friendship lift the heavy load.
But just to feel you have a friend,
Who will stand by until the end.
Whose sympathy through all endures,
Whose warm handclasp is always yours.
It helps somehow to pull you through,
Although there’s nothing she can do.
And so with fervent heart we cry,
God Bless the friend who just stands by.
– Author Unknown
Soul – душа
Try – (тук) поставям на изпитание
Stand by – стоя до
Smooth – изглаждам
Load – товар
Sympathy – съчувствие
Endure – издържам, устоявам на
Handclap – ръкопляскане
Pull somebody through – излизам от затруднено положение
Fervent – горещ, жарък, пламтящ
Cry – викам
Questions for discussion:
- Do you have many friends? Are they casual acquaintances or close friends?
- Do you prefer to spend time with your family or with your friends?
- Do you prefer one or two close friends or many friends?
- Can you describe your best friend?
- How to make friends?
- What do you usually do with your friends?
- Have you ever thought “I have no real friends, only people I keep company with”? What is the difference between people who are only company and a real friend?
- Have you got a close friend? In what ways is this friendship important in your life?
- Do you know everything about your best friend? Does he know everything about you? Is this important in a close friendship? If your best friend is in trouble and doesn’t confide in you, how do you feel?
- Is it important for close friends to think the same way on important subjects?
- Do you see any difference in the kind of friendship you can have with a man or with a woman? Can a man and a woman be close friends without being in love with each other? Can your husband or wife ever be your best friend?
- Some people say that their best friends are animals. What kind of friendship can a person have with a dog or a cat?
- If you move to a new town, a new school, or a new job, do you make new friends easily? Why is it more difficult for some people to make friends?
- How and where did you meet your best friend and how did you become friends?
- Has there been a period in your life when you had no friends? What was the reason? What effect did that have on your life?
- Is friendship a dangerous relationship?
- What motives or circumstances cause friendships to terminate?
- Who are better friends – men or women?
Homework:
- Write a text (about 300 words) on one of the following topics:
- My closest friend
- Why is friendship important for me
- A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway. — Fr. Jerome Cummings
- Who finds a faithful friend, finds a treasure. — Jewish Saying
- Your friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you.
— Elbert Hubbard - What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies. – Aristotle
- Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow.
Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead.
Just walk beside me and be my friend.– Albert Camus - The only way to have a friend is to be one. — Ralph Waldo Emerson